The present invention relates to inflatable cushion packaging material.
In the normal mailing or other transportation items are customarily packaged in an outer container leaving voids between the product and its container which must be filled to protect the product during shipment. One manner of filling these voids is by inflatable cushions. An example of such inflatable devices is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,157. As seen in that patent the inflatable cushions can take various forms for surrounding portions of the product being shipped.
The inflatable cushions of the prior art have the disadvantage of being of elaborate designs often requiring openings passing through the cushion and generally being of custom design for a particular product. The present invention on the other hand is of a simple design that is readily and conveniently manufactured and may be utilized for a large variety of shapes and sizes of products being packaged.
An important feature of an inflatable cushion is that it not rupture upon impact. Rupture would of course result in deflation and loss of the cushioning effect.